Photo Flash: ESPA Students in Site-Specific Directing!

This summer, the students in Site-Specific Directing at Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) have staged theatre all over New York City: from Shakespeare in Central Park to Chekhov on the Staten Island Ferry. The directors concluded their class this week by fully producing five new short plays in and under the High Line Park in Manhattan.

The eight-week course instructed by Daniel Talbott (Artistic Director, Rising Phoenix Rep), which will be offered again this fall, challenges directing students with a hands-on exploration of the theatricality in any environment: indoors, outdoors, public, private, or somewhere in between. Students have the opportunity to collaborate with ESPA acting students and other actors on short pieces and scenes, using material from the classical and contemporary cannons including plays by Shakespeare, Strindberg, and Sarah Kane, and bring them to life in unexpected locales. Previous sites have included the High Line, Lincoln Center, the Staten Island Ferry, Dumbo, and the Seventh Street Small Stage at East Village restaurant Jimmy's No. 43.

This semester's student directors are Alexa Gruber, Rachael Harrington, Barbara Harrison, Carrie Edel Isaacman, Sarah Lyons, and Ashley Marinaccio.

The full list of plays produced on the High Line follows:

Lost by Erin Adams, directed by Rachael Harrington, with Chet Siegel and Chinasa Ogbuagu

For The Price of a Balloon on 10th by Daniel Welser Carroll, directed by Barbara Harrison, with Allison Altman and Gavin Price

Traces by Christine Schmidt, directed by Sara Lyons, with Rachel Lambert and Seta Bairamian

II Untitled (100 words) performance piece based on a scene from Attempts on Her Life by Martin Crimp, directed by Alexa Gruber with Kirk Duval, Molly, and readers Rachael Harrington, Lisa Biedlingmaier, Barbara Harrison and Carrie Isaacman

Call Me Daryl Hannah by Troy Deutch, directed by Carrie Edel Isaacman, with Lloyd Mulvey and Rachel Errington

Daniel Talbott (Instructor) most recent work as an actor includes the Theatre for One project in Times Square and around NYC, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis), Master Builder (Irish Rep), Rocket City (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Tartuffe (McCarter Theatre/Yale Rep), Marat/Sade (Classical Theatre of Harlem) and the feature film Pretty Bird, Dreaming American and The Big C on Showtime. Recent directing work includes Much Ado About Nothing (Boomerang), Squealer (Lesser America at Theater for the New City), The Umbrella Plays (the teacup company/FringeNYC - Overall Excellence Award: Outstanding Play and at The Tank), Keep Your Baggage With You (at all times) (Theater for the New City), Footprint by Mac Rogers (part of +30NYC for Red Fern Theatre), Afterclap by Daniel Reitz, Birthday and Nobody, both by Crystal Skillman (Rising Phoenix Rep at the Seventh Street Small Stage), and Fall Forward (Sitelines/River to River Festival produced by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council). His play Slipping was produced at Rattlestick with Piece by Piece Productions (named one of the top ten plays of 2009 by The Advocate), premiered in Chicago at The Side Project, and was part of the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. It was published last year by Dramatists Play Service and was a finalist for a 2011 Lambda Literary Award for Drama. His play What Happened When was produced at HERE Arts Center and The Side Project and was published as part of the Plays and Playwrights 2008 anthology. He received a 2011 Theater Hall of Fame Fellowship, a 2007 New York Innovative Theatre Award for directing, a Drama-Logue Award, two Dean Goodman Choice Awards and a Judy Award for acting, and was also named one of the 15 People of the Year 2006 by nytheatre.com. He is a member of MCC Theater's Playwrights' Coalition, of last year's 24Seven Lab, and of TOSOS. He is a graduate of Juilliard and of Solano College Theatre's ATP, and teaches at the Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA). He is one of the literary managers of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and the artistic director of Rising Phoenix Rep (recipient of the 2007 NYIT Caffe Cino Fellowship Award).

Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) is a multidisciplinary educational institution with departments in acting, writing, and directing. Since its 2007 inception, ESPA has become a leader in performing arts education through its excellence in training, unique collaboration & networking opportunities, and its community-based approach to a life in the arts. ESPA is open to all artists, in all stages of their careers. www.primarystages.org/ESPA

Photo Credit: Daniel Talbott

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